Chicago, IL — Jose Medina-Medina, the 26-year-old Venezuelan illegal immigrant accused of murdering Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman, was caught with a makeshift weapon inside Cook County Jail on Thursday.

According to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, jail staff received reports that Medina had a weapon and conducted a search just after 8 a.m. They discovered a 6-inch shank — a sharpened piece of metal with a handle made from medical tape — hidden in his pants.

Medina has been charged with possession of contraband in a penal institution. It remains unclear what he intended to use the weapon for.

Gorman, an 18-year-old freshman from Yorktown Heights, New York, was fatally shot in the back on March 19, 2026, in a random attack near the Loyola campus. She was with a group of friends searching for the northern lights when Medina, allegedly wearing a mask, approached and opened fire.

Medina faces charges including first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, and unlawful possession of a weapon. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bond. If convicted, he could face life in prison without parole.

His defense attorney has argued that Medina suffers from severe cognitive impairment due to a previous gunshot wound to the head sustained during a robbery in Colombia. The lawyer claimed that part of his brain is missing and that he functions at the developmental level of a child.

Gorman’s parents have publicly criticized immigration policies that allowed Medina to enter the U.S. illegally in 2019 and remain in the country until the fatal shooting.

“We’ve got to make changes,” Gorman’s mother, Jessica, said in a previous interview. Her father, Thomas, added that while they cannot bring their daughter back, they hope to prevent similar tragedies in the future.